Garlicky Noodles

Ingredients:

1/2 a package of Fettuccine Noodles, cooked al dente (About 8 oz worth)
10 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper
2 cups Seitan, cut into small cubes or strips
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 a White Onion, sliced
4 cups Green Cabbage (Napa Cabbage would be awesome as well), thinly sliced
3/4 Cup Vegetarian Stirfry Sauce + 1/4 cup water, mixed
Oil for frying

Directions:

- Cook pasta and prepare veggies, set aside.
- Put 1 tablespoon of oil in a large hot pan or wok. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and seitan. Cook a few minutes until seitan is a bit golden.
- Add asparagus and onions and cook until onions begin to turn translucent. Add more oil if needed.
- Add cabbage, cooked fettuccine noodles, and the vegetarian stirfry sauce + water mixture.
- Continue to cook until the liquid from the vegetarian soy sauce + water mixture looks mostly absorbed.

Vegan Sushi!

I love me some sushi! It doesn't have to be covered in diseased fish carcass either to taste good. Just make sushi using your favorite veggies! Pickled veggies are also amazing in sushi but I didn't have any this time around.

You will need a bamboo mat covered in saran wrap to make your sushi and a sharp knife.

Ingredients for Rice:

- 1 & 1/2 Cups Calrose Rice (AKA Sticky Rice)
- 2 Cups Water
- Seasoned Rice Vinegar (A few teaspoons, to taste)
- Salt (Some generous shakes, to taste)

Ingredients for sushi (This time):

- 4 Sheets of Nori
- Avocado
- Baked Flavored Tofu (I used Teryaki flavored from Trader Joe's)
- Cucumber (Seeds scooped out)
- Shredded Carrots
- Red Bell Pepper
- Pickled Ginger (Optional)
- Dipping sauce of choice (Sweet Chili Sauce or Soy Sauce & Wasabi)

Directions:

- Cook your sushi rice according package directions or use a rice cooker (Like me).
- While sushi is cooking get all your sliced veggies ready (Like the picture above).
- Once your rice is done cooking scoop it out into a nonreactive bowl and let it cool, turining occasionally.
- Once cooled add seasoned rice vinegar and salt and mix well to distribute rice seasonings.
- Place a sheet of nori on your saran wrapped sushi mat.
- Spread out 1/4 of the rice evenly to cover the sushi mat.
- Add veggies, roll sushi, cut into slices, eat. If you need detailed instructions on how to make sushi you can google it or watch a video on youtube.

These rolls used all my listed toppings

These are Vegan California Rolls (Avocado & Cucumber only)

 

Dinner at Dad's

Another Friday and another amazing meal courtesy of my Step Mom. This week we had:

 

Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry: Brussels + Bell Peppers + Onions + Spices
Seasoned Pinto Beans: Pintos + Tomato Sauce + Spices (I know she used a Bay Leaf)
Seasoned White Rice: Rice + Herbs (I know she used Cilantro) & Spices
Salsa Seasoned Tofu: Tofu + Salsa + Spices

She also made her specialty: Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake! She added some canned peaches along with the pineapple this time and it turned out great! This cake tastes best slightly warmed. I had mine with a bit if Trader Joe's Mango Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream.

My Step Mom also knows about my love affair with these amazing Sesame Seaweed Rice Balls from Trader Joe's! They have been out of these magical little puffs for months at TJ's and now there back! She of course did the smart thing and scooped up 5 bags (Hey they're only a buck).

Earthlings

I am going to buy Earthlings off Amazon and a few other movies (That I will for sure talk about after watching), but here is the preview for Earthlings (This preview is very mild, nothing graphic):





You can watch this whole video easily on youtube for free, but you will need a box of tissues... If you ever wondered why people go vegan this film will easily show you why.

I didn't give up meat, dairy, and animal byproducts because they tasted bad, I gave them up because they are unnecessary for my survival and they cause an insane amount of suffering.

Killing animals for food is unnecessary, it inflicts pain on living beings, and is therefor cruel. As discussed on VegWeb, there is no way to humanely slaughter an animal. Animals "Humanely raised" for food still end up at the same horrible slaughterhouse... Think about it, give it up already.

Trader Joe's Vegan Ice Cream

So I tried this stuff at my Dad's just a few days ago and fell in love. Today I hit up Trader Joe's and got the delicious Mango Vanilla flavor I tried at my Dad's and Vanilla too!

Since I already experienced the deliciousness of the Mango Vanilla flavor, I decided to go for the Vanilla tonight. It is delicious on it's own but I decided to drizzle mine with some organic vegan chocolate syrup. Fantastic!

Watermelon Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup mini seedless watermelon, diced
1 frozen banana
3 frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon light agave nectar
Water as needed

Directions:

Basically throw all your ingredients in a blender and blend. I recommend making sure the watermelon is closest to the blender blades to ensure easier blending.

Dinner at Dad's

Another Friday and another amazing meal courtesy of my amazing Step Mom. If I had enough money, I would pay her to be my personal chef. So hopefully I will win the lottery sometime soon because this little lady is worth millions! Sorry about the small pics but I didn't bring my camera :(

We had some amazing and huge burritos.

Filled with this amazing chipotle flavored veggie stirfry which consisted of potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and some amazing herbs and spices!

My Step Mom always makes the yummiest rice! This time she said she used some garlic and oregano and I am sure some other things as well.

She also made a stirfry with onions, tofu, and my new favorite mushrooms: Crimini! I left them out of my overly stuffed burrito, which was already the size of my head, but ate some on the side. Fantastic!

Last but not least, I managed to eat some Trader Joe's Vanilla and Mango flavored soy ice cream... And this stuff is goooooddddd <3 I am definitely going to pick up a few cartons next time I hit up TJ's.

Pan Fried Potatoes and Coleslaw

I was in a lazy mood tonight, which seems to be the norm lately. I have tons of veggies on hand and some leftovers from a variation of my Sweet & Spicy Fried Rice. 

So, I made some Coleslaw using THIS recipe I posted awhile ago on VegWeb. I made 1/2 of the recipe and sliced a huge chunk out of my thumb in the process :( Don't bother making leftovers of the coleslaw, it tastes good for a few hours after making it, but not the next day.

I also made some Pan Fried Potatoes... I have been making these for as long as I can remember and I always make lots since I love having leftovers!

Ingredients:

6 small/medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Onion, sliced
Oil for frying
Creole Seasoning, to taste

Directions:
- Microwave your potato chunks for 10 minutes on a microwave-safe plate
- Add some oil to a hot large pan or wok, add potatoes
- Fry up potatoes until they turn golden on all (well most) sides (flipping around occasionally)
- Add onions and bell pepper. Cook until onion begins to turn translucent.
- Season with a GENEROUS amount of Creole Seasoning.
- Serve with ketchup and maybe some Tofutti "Sour Cream"

Easy Peasy Pita Pizzas

Most vegan cheeze is disgusting, it smells like vomit and it doesn't melt. Daiya is the closest that any vegan cheeze has come to the real thing. It melts really well! I could never eat it plain though.

Tonight I made myself 2 Easy Peasy Pita Pizzas and served them up with some my Ranch Dressing for dipping.

Ingredients (Feel free to use what toppings you like):

- Pita Bread
- Pasta or Pizza sauce
- Tofurkey Italian Sausage, sliced
- Artichoke hearts, sliced
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Daiya Mozzarella Cheese (Comes shredded)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place pita bread on a cookie sheet.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on the pizza. Add toppings, cheeze goes last (FYI, less is more when it comes to vegan cheeze).
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the Daiya has melted. If you aren't using Daiya, you may need to broil your pizza for a few minutes to get the cheeze to melt.

First Paycheck=Trader Joe's and Tons of Produce!

So, I'll be the first to admit, I went a bit overboard this week when I hit up Trader Joe's and the local Ranch Market. Frozen goodies, snacks, dark chocolate, noodle bowls, hummus, veggies, dried fruit & nuts, etc. This is only a picture of my fridge and freezer... My pantry and cupboards are pretty full too.

My fridge has been barren for the past few weeks and I finally got my first paycheck from my new job so I LOADED UP on goodies... My fridge is jam-packed with mostly veggies but I got a bunch of other yummy vegan stuff too! Like these Cucumber Wonton Rolls from Trader Joe's (Found in the freezer section):

I fried them up in some oil and served them alongside some sticky rice and a stir-fry consisting of seitan, cabbage, kale, onions, asparagus, and teryaki sauce... Yum! These wontons are awesome, even plain, without dipping sauce!

I swear Trader Joe's is vegan heaven! Here is a LIST of their vegan offerings. A lot of their stuff is even clearly labeled with a "V" for vegan which makes decoding ingredient lists much easier!

Meat Free Monday Video (Thursday in Britian)... Great Watch!

Dinner at Dad's

Another Friday and another amazing vegan meal at Dad's. This week, my Step Mom cooked up some delicious Stuffed Peppers and a Vegan Chorizo & Potato type dish. The Stuffed Peppers are jazzed up a bit with a salsa and Tofutti Cream Cheese mixture.

I also had some salad with one of my favorite dressings... Poppyseed! I love Ralph's (Kroger) store brand Poppyseed Dressing, it's the bomb!

I had Pinapple Upsidedown Cake for dessert but inhaled it before I got to take a picture, sorry.  Can't wait to see what she serves up next week!

Sweet Spicy Savory Seitan & A Bizarre Pizza

So I have hardly any food in my house right now (As you will see when you read what I put on my pizza) but I am making due with the few things I have.

I made a batch of Crock-Pot Seitan yesterday and made some a really yummy stirfry tonight!

Sweet Spicy Savory Seitan

Ingredients:
1/3 a batch of Crock-Pot Seitan (About 4 cups)
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1.5 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup Vegetarian Stirfry Sauce
1/4 cup Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine)
1/2 a bag of frozen Broccoli Florets (8 oz)
A few tablespoons of Oil for frying

Directions:

Cut seitan into thin strips.

Put seitan into a big ziploc bag, add cornstarch and shake the bag around until the seitan is coated with the cornstarch. Reuse your ziploc bags: Wash them out with dish soap and water so you can use them again!

Put a few tablespoons of oil in a wok, once the oil is hot add the coated seitan and the red pepper flakes. Fry the seitan until golden in both sides.

While the seitan is frying, mix together the mirin and vegetarian stirfry sauce. Set aside.

Once the seitan is golden on both sides, add the frozen broccoli. Once the broccoli get's defrosted in the pan, add the mirin/ vegetarian stirfry sauce mixture.

Mix around until the seitan and broccoli are hot and evenly coated.

I served mine with some a variation of my Sweet & Spicy Fried Rice 

Now for my Bizarre Pizza:

I made my own pizza crust using This Recipe with the "butter" variation (It is so fast and easy) and added some black olives, artichoke hearts, canned mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, fresh corn kernels, Ragu Super Chunky Mushroom pasta sauce, and some vegan American cheeze slices. I usually don't do the vegan cheeze but since I added the corn I figured my pizza would be way too messy without something holding the ingredients to the crust. I served my pizza with some Vegan Ranch for dipping, it was way better than I expected. And FYI, when using vegan cheezes you generally need to broil the pizza for a little bit to get the cheeze to melt... Don't take your eyes of your broiling pizza though or it might get burnt!

Vegan Tostadas

 I love tostadas! You don't even need meat or dairy to make amazing tostadas, promise!

Ingredients:

- Refried Beans, heated and mixed with some Taco Sauce or Salsa
- Guacamole (Mashed Avocado + Salt + A Little Lime Juice)
- Vegan Sour Cream (I always use Tofutti), optional
- Shredded Lettuce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Ketchup or Hot Sauce for drizzling
- Tostada shells

Directions:

Well I'll be the first to admit, these are pretty obvious...
Layer tostada shell with ingredients. I typically do refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup drizzle... Eat and have plenty of napkins ready cause these are messy!

 

Elotes (Corn+Mayo+Chili)

 

My Mexican Lover introduced me to this simple and amazing concept: Corn on the cob + Mayo + Chili. I thought it sounded bizarre at first but one bite made me fall in love <3

Now as a vegan, I can still make Elotes. I just substitute mayo for Vegenaise!

I don't have a barbecue for roasting my corn but I found out you can make corn on the cob in both the oven and microwave! I have tried both methods with the same great results.

Ingredients:
- 1 piece of corn in it's husk
- Vegan mayo
- Pico de Gallo seasoning

Directions:
For the oven:
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Once oven is heated, place corn husk right on the rack and roast for 30 minutes, flip over after 15 minutes

For the microwave:
- Place corn in it's husk on a microwave safe plate
- Microwave for 4 minutes flip over after 2 minutes

The following steps are the same for wither cooking method:
- Peel husk off the corn with baking mitts
- Slice the end of the corn off
- Stick a corn holder into the base of the corn
- Slather on some vegan mayo and sprinkle with Pico de Gallo seasoning
- Eat!

Or if your like me, I hate having corn stuck in my teeth, so I just cut the corn off the cob with a knife and enjoy it that way.

I ate 2 of these for lunch today... Yummy!

Dinner at Dad's

After my first week of work at my first full-time job I was pooped. I was looking forward to my weekly dinner at my Dad's house. My Step Mom is hands-down THE BEST COOK EVER... You know one of those people who can throw a bunch of ingredients together and make an amazing dish without a recipe... My Step Mom is pretty much vegan too! Yep good old Skinny Bitch converted her.

So from this day forward, every week I'll post the pics of the awesome food I get to eat courtesy of my Step Mom <3 She really is the greatest!

We had veggie chow mein, pot stickers, and egg rolls:

And some garlicky sticky rice, teriyaki tofu, and yes another egg roll!

So yummy and soooo full :)

Vegan Hot Dogs + Strawberry Ice Cream

So I finally found some vegan hot dog buns made by Oroweat. They had been right in front of my nose the whole time! I was just too lazy to research some of the questionable ingredients (You know the ones that can be plant or animal derived). So my vegan homie, Natasha, called the company to ask and they assured her those ingredients were in fact plant derived. Score! I got hamburger buns and potato bread too!

So far I'm not a fan of vegan hot dogs, the ones I have tried have had a funky flavor to them, so I used my all time favorite Tofurkey Italian Sausages! Next time I might try one of the other flavors they offer but these, being my favorite vegan sausage so far, were obviously good.

Edit: I actually recommend that if you use vegan sausages instead of hot dogs use only 2 instead of 4 and slice them in half lengthwise because they're pretty huge or maybe my mouth is too small because I could hardly get it around this enormous thing! Cut in half was perfect.

Ingredients:                                     

- 4 vegan sausages/ hot dogs
- 4 hot dog buns
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 a bell pepper, sliced
- Oil for frying

Toppings:

- Sauerkraut
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Ketchup

Directions:

Fry up sausages in a little oil. Once they begin to brown a bit on both sides add onions and bell peppers. Cook about 5 more minutes until onions and bell peppers are browned a bit and soft. Place sausage/ hot dog on bun (I nuked mine for 30 seconds), add bell peppers, onions, and toppings. Eat! I served mine with vegan baked beans and sweet potato fries.

I made some Strawberry Ice Cream for dessert and topped it with chocolate syrup :)

Lazy College Kid's Easy Falafel

Lazy College Kid's Easy Falafel is another easy recipe that I make quite often off of VegWeb. I serve it just like the recipe suggests: In a pita with hummus, lettuce, tomato, and dill pickles. It is fantastic this way. I bake my falafel balls for 30 minutes at 375 F. This time I added an extra tablespoon or two of chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon of curry powder, this is not really necessary though.